weaning off effexor

I am weaning off effexor very slowly. But I started to feel depressed. I wanna quit because of sexual side effects. Is it normal to fee llittle depressed during withdrawal?

[Hensley258]

Sure it is and even long after you stop the medication.

Since you were prescribed Effexor XR by a Psychiatrist, then I will assume that you suffer from major depressive dissorder (maybe combined with anxiety)

Given that is the case, you really can't expect that your Depression has just "gone away"
Major depression almost never just goes away. It may go dorment for small periods of time, but it will be back.

In severe cases it never leaves and must for life be controlled with antidepressants and other drugs.

In short yes, of corse you will get depressed again after the medication is gone from your system.

[bosnianworrier]

Thanks

I have no major depressive disorder. I have mild to (sometimes) moderate depression but severe GAD.

I wanna quit because of those side effects I mentioned in my first post. I am weaning off very slowly.

I plan to start natural remedies afterwords. St John's wort and other natural stuff combined with psychotherapy and regular exercise.

Now I am on 75 mg of effexor. When I started weaning ooff 2 months ago I was on 150 mg. I feel little depressed but also I screwed my sleeping schedule and maybe that makes it worse.

When I was on 150 I tried to cut down by 37.5 mg and it didn't work. Now I don't have withdrawal symptoms but I feel empty. Lost motivation.

So if I get bad again after I quit I will start something again. I don't know what. All meds have sexual side effects except wellbutrin but that one doesn't work for me.

I have been on meds for over 10 years and maybe my brain can't function without it. But depression had decreased significantly years ago only GAD is still there despite effexor and klonopin.

[Hensley258]

Protriptilyne doesn't have sexual side effects. Well, not like other antidepressants.

It does the opposite and makes sex "too fast" if you get what I mean.

It's a damn good alternative to Effexor though. Side effects are even less and it works pretty darn good for most that try it.

[bosnianworrier]

Thanks. I will look into that one.